Fatal Touch
by SilentXInsomnia
Summary: A lonely forever stained ginger General. A girl he can't have. The girl wants him but fears Mr Tiny's predictions. Will their love overcome the odds? Or will she remain an innocent bystander and friend to the scarred General? Based on an OC.
1. Chapter 1: Reappearance

**Chapter one: Reappearance.**

Once again the festival was in full swing and the vampires had turned their attentions to the fighting contest. All around Larten could see members of the clan fighting each other with various forms of weapons or engaged in heavy hand to hand combat. This was a time when most of the clan forgot their ranks and sensibilities and gave into the creature that dwelled within them. Most holding a killing intent, others just doing it to gain status within the halls of Vampire Mountain. The air itself was thick with the scent of blood, sweat and battle. For these creatures that relished in war the smell was almost delectable and many paused to take in deep lung full's of the scent.  
If anyone who wasn't part of the clan was to walk in midway through this festival they'd think the normally proud and noble creatures of the night had lost their minds, tearing into each other with vicious intent, many becoming injured and even some dying during these savage tests of strength. But this was not a dishonourable way to die and all of the clan made certain to remember and praise the fallen, stopping battles to make the deaths touch sign so that the dead vampire's soul would find its way to paradise, if the gods so willed it that is.  
But Larten wasn't interested in the battles currently going on around him. He'd been told by his old master Seba that his friend and vampiress Katara Eventier, better known as Kitty, would be returning to the halls of Vampire Mountain on this night.  
The often fleeting General had not visited the council for over 30 years, preferring to keep away from the chaos and the male vampires that often tried to mate with her. She was nowhere near as sort after as the Lady of the Wilds, but the vampiress had her own fair share of admirers, including Vancha March, Mika Ver Leth and even Larten himself. It was even rumoured the female had caught Paris Skyle's eye though he had denied such rumours and never responded with the same answer.  
She was no pushover however, the vampiress was skilled in combat and often came across as feisty to those who approached her without her consent, hence the reason she was nicknamed Kitty. She could handle herself even against the princes and her nails were exceptionally sharp even for a vampire's. On top of that, she was fairer than most of the other Vampiress's that currently stood in Vampire Mountain, most of them covered in scars and looking tougher than the males. But Kitty had a certain charm to her features, and beautiful, powerful eyes that demanded respect and authority without her even speaking a word.  
Larten searched the hall for her, hoping to spot her amongst the crowd of battle folk but she was nowhere to be seen. Disappointment slowly began to sink in and he wondered off to go find his father-like mentor. He found him in the hall of Khledon Lurt sipping at a glass of wine. Larten himself preferred ale to wine so he helped himself to a pitcher of the golden liquid before moving to sit by his master. The aged vampire rose his head and greeted Larten with a small but warm smile.  
"Not in the mood for fighting, Larten?" He arched an ancient eyebrow slightly and Larten gave a grim nod, reaching up to ruffle his forever stained orange hair. "I spent so long preparing for the festival I honestly don't believe I have enough energy left to fight." Seba could tell his once assistant was hiding something though he did not question Larten, knowing that in time if he was meant to know then Larten would confide his troubles to the old man. It was all a matter of patience with the young General.  
They sat in silence together for a few hours, occasionally exchanging comments or holding short conversations, but for the pair that was enough. Larten had come to understand that his former mentor preferred to remain a man of few words and Seba had come to understand the General did not like answering questions, so the silence worked perfectly for them. Saying things that they did not need to speak in order to understand.  
It was only when their silence was disturbed by a green haired prince that both the men truly surfaced from their private thoughts. The prince grinned at the pair and then proceeded to spit on the floor beside their table before taking a seat beside Larten, sporting a fresh purplish-black bruise on his cheek, obviously from a recovering broken cheekbone. "Charna's guts!" Larten exclaimed, staring at the Prince's slightly swollen face. "What happened to you!" Vancha beamed and snorted loudly for a moment before calling for a mug of milk and downing it quickly before ordering another. "Kitty happened." Vancha's grin threatened to split his face. Larten's eyes widened and he quickly rose from his seat. "What! She's here? Where?" He questioned the Prince quickly and Vancha raised a hand to stop his friend. "Peace Larten. She's speaking with Paris in private for now so she won't be around until later. Come; let's drink to celebrate such a fine night." The prince beamed again and winced slightly when his cheek twinged. Larten listened intently as the Prince recounted his fierce, yet embarrassing, battle with the Vampiress and didn't seem to notice that the whole time the duo spoke Seba watched his young assistant in silence, finally understanding the reasoning for Larten's moody expression previously.  
It wasn't until hours later that the trio were once again disturbed by the large doors to the hall opening and a hooded figure slipped in. The figure was that of a woman, clothed in a dark brown leather trench-coat with several straps decorating the waist and arms, black pants and a large greyish (almost black) scarf around her neck that she used to form a hood over her head, cloaking her features from the rest of her fellow kindred. Seba rose from his seat calmly before Larten could notice and smiled warmly as the female approached, her freshly washed feet barely making a sound on the hard stone of the hall and a grin spread over her features that became visible as she approached, reaching up to move the hood from her face. Her hair was a dark chestnut, braided up into a large bun that sat at the back of her neck with a few strands hanging either side of her face. Her fierce, very light blue (inhumanly blue, almost white) eyes lit up as she embraced the older Vampire for a moment. Larten looked up and he felt his pulse quicken slightly as he laid eyes upon the female. From the corner of his vision he saw Vancha stir and guessed the Prince held a similar expression to his own. For a moment he felt envy for his father-figure, wishing that he too would be embraced as warmly as Seba had though he made certain not to show it in front of the female because it may have cost him his life. When Seba released the female she kissed his cheek and turned her attentions to the Prince and Larten. "Good evening your Highness, Cub." Her eyes fell on Larten as she uttered the term in which he was once referred to before he became a General and Larten grimaced slightly before giving a responding grin to match her smile. "Last time I checked I had become a General like yourself, Katara."  
"Ah but you will always be the same reckless cub that squandered his fortune on ale and ladies in taverns and hung around with the likes of Tanish Eul and Wester Flack." She smirked and Larten stiffened at the name of Tanish Eul. From his expression the female arched an eyebrow softly; seeming to understand it was a delicate matter before she relaxed her features again and changed the subject. "It appears we have much to talk about, Master Crepsley. And what has become of poor Wester? Have you finally driven him to the point of insanity Larten?"  
"On the contrary, he has strayed away from the path of a General and become a guard of the Princes Hall." Seba offered and the vampiress' eyes switched to him. "A guard? A very honourable position. I also heard of your promotion Seba, congratulations. I cannot imagine anyone better for the position." Seba gave a polite nod of thanks and then lightly indicated for Kitty to join them at their table. To Larten's dismay she chose to sit next to Vancha who currently sat wiping phlegm into his green hair, smoothing it back to make it slick and shiny.  
The female grimaced and stared at Vancha for a moment in disgust. "What have I told you about doing that around me, Sire?"  
"Admit it Kitty. You cannot resist my charm." He smiled ruefully and received a dark look for it before the girl chose to ignore him and turn her attention back to Larten. "A general? Last I heard when I spoke to Hibernius you had gone astray and turned your back on the clan. I'll admit I'm happy to find that you have returned and followed a good path."  
The spoke until it was nearing dawn; exchanging stories, jokes and accounts of their lives during the vampiress' absence, though to Larten's dismay the female rarely spoke of her own life during that time. The whole night she listened intently to Wester's, Vancha's and Larten's own tales and frequently asked questions to keep the conversation flowing, thought whenever they pried a question into her personal business she would only ever give short and simple replies before directing the conversation back to them.  
Seba had retired a few hours before the others and Kitty had stood to kiss the elderly vampire's cheek, bidding him a good night before she returned to her seat with only her second glass of wine (Larten, Vancha and Wester were on their ninth glass of their chosen poison.)  
The prince turned his head and spat on the floor before fixing his eyes on the female of the party, his right eye almost closed from the swelling of his cheek and he smirked lightly. "You did not answer my previous question during our battle, Katara. Have you or have you not found a mate. Larten stopped mid-swig of his ale and almost choked, he hadn't even considered the possibility that the fair brunette had finally chosen someone, but now that he did he didn't like it at all. He could tell by the look in the Prince's eyes that he too felt the same, despite the grin that lit the untidy vampire's features. "And why is that any of your business Vancha March?" she fixed him with a cold stare, a hand poised on the stem of her wine glass. For a moment Larten imagined the female throwing the contents of the glass all over the scruffy prince and the thought brought a small, wicked grin to his features for a split second. "And just what are you grinning about master Crepsley?" the cold gaze turned to Larten and the grin vanished and he felt his cheeks flush. "Er... nothing." He muttered quickly, praying to the vampire gods that she would not pry any further.  
Mercifully they answered and the vampires simply shrugged her shoulders and downed the rest of her wine, completely ignoring the question put forth by the prince. "That's me spent. Goodnight Gentlemen, Vancha." She rose slowly and turned, heading to the door. Larten felt a small urge to chase after her though he stayed seated, calling out a respectful goodnight. "That's sire Vancha to you! Would you like me to escort you to your cave?" Vancha beamed, then winced again and the girl glanced back a him. "Only a fool would allow you to follow them to their coffin, sire. I am quite capable of finding my own way." She rolled her eyes and then left, the welcoming sound of her laughter tinkling through the air as she disappeared from sight. The prince sat back and gave a happy sigh. "She can't resist me."


	2. Chapter 2: Resurfacing

Chapter Two: Resurfacing

The next few days were a blur for Kitty. She'd been greeted by many vampires and vampiress' alike, told of many events and challenged to battle several times during the festival of the dead.  
Every now and then she'd found herself wondering why in fact she had returned to Vampire Mountain in the first place as the girl had never particularly enjoyed the company of her fellow kindred, preferring to travel alone, but even she had to admit it herself it was good to see the old quartermaster, his two assistants and the princes, for what little she saw of them during such a busy time.  
She stood in the hall of Perta Vin-Grahl on the final day of the festival, carefully scrubbing herself down under the freezing water, enjoying the peace she'd stolen for a few moments. Life here was too hectic and people always wanted to talk to her or ask for her help with something.  
She didn't mind the icy water unlike most who'd become accustomed to the newly invented bathtubs and showers that gave out piping hot water, used to bathing under waterfalls and in streams whenever she slept in the wilds. The cold also helped to numb the pain of the bruises and two broken ribs she was currently nursing, having received them in her final battle of the night against a particularly gruesome and ruthless General. Fortunately she had been able to avoid most injuries in her battles, rarely receiving more than a few scratches or bruises per battle and she'd only received a tiny fraction of the injuries she'd dealt on others.  
She considered leaving before dawn to return to her quiet life but there was still much she had to discuss with both Seba and the younger Larten, wishing to know more into the events that had lead to the demise of the once cowardly cub Tanish Eul, but also the orange haired assistants own life since they'd departed from the last council they'd shared together, fifty years ago. In some inexplicable way Kitty had found herself drawn to Larten since she'd first laid eyes on him nearly a century ago, when she'd seen him lose his very first battle in the halls of this very mountain. In some ways she'd considered the possibility that this was destiny's way of guiding their paths to cross, though she could not decide if it was a desire to mate with the young General or just a protective nature, like a sibling. If she'd thought on it hard enough she may have even considered the fact that Desmond Tiny was meddling with both of their fates, drawing them closer together just so he could watch more suffering and torment happen with a gleeful grin on his pudgy face.  
She ignored the other vampires that came to wash the blood from their bodies, battle wounded and bruised as she slid into her clothes once more and left the hall to go return to her duties with a small reluctant sigh.  
She spent the next four hours treating the wounded, spitting on wounds and bandaging them until the back of her throat felt like sandpaper. Many of the cubs were badly injured, having picked fights with older, more experienced vampires thinking that they could gain status.  
The child of the night gave a sigh as she finished bandaging a dark haired cubs arm and glanced up to see Wester Flack approaching her, giving a tired yawn. She stood and turned to face him, giving a small nod in greeting. "Good evening Wester, did you just finish your shift?" The male vampire nodded lightly in return, his cheeks flushing slightly. He too had joined the ranks of admirers for Kitty, though he never showed it as he did not want to apprehend Larten's or Vancha's chances, that and the guard was just simply shy around women. "How are you this evening?" he asked her lightly, straightening his stance despite being exhausted. "I'm well. And yourself?" her cool eyes fixed on him and Wester felt his cheeks redden slightly more. "I'm good, just tired. Are you going to the dining hall?" he cocked an eyebrow in questioning the female nodded. "I will accompany you if you do not mind." She didn't give him a chance to reply, turning on her heel and heading towards the hall. Wester had to hurry to follow her, stepping to her side and glancing at her from the corner of his eye, secretly admiring her features, or so he thought it was secret.  
"Are you checking me out Wester Flack?" She demanded in a pretend cross-tone and his mouth fell open for a moment, his cheeks going bright red and he stopped mid-step. "I-I… Well.. I… I'm sorry I didn't mean to." He stammered and blinked in surprise when the vampiress laughed. "Well I'll be, Wester Flack, actually looking at a woman! I thought you would remain focused on your work forever!" she chortled. Wester remained silent, not looking at the girl at his side. "Oh don't be so embarrassed, you should be thankful I'm not tearing your eyes from your skull." The look of sheer horror on Wester's face sent her into fresh hysterics.  
When she finally regained control of her laughter she turned her body to him, sucking in a deep breath to compose herself before her eyes focused on him once more. "Know this, Wester Flack. I will not even consider the possibility of you mating with me while you are on this fruitless endeavour against the vampaneze." Her voice was as serious as her powerful eyes and he felt a sudden lump in his throat. "I cannot. Their kind killed my family. I must have revenge." He muttered, looking at his bare feet. Kitty had been expecting this answer and she frowned for a moment before giving a soft smirk. "Then I guess you are at an impasse, hm?" she purred, pausing in the doorway to the dining hall to lean over and she pecked his cheek softly. "Forget your hatred, and I will consider being your mate." With that she turned and slipped through the doors into the dining hall, making her way over to an empty table and helping herself to some bat broth. Wester didn't join her, having suddenly lost his appetite.  
In truth, Kitty knew he would never give up his hatred for their blood-cousins and it pained her slightly whenever she heard word of him scheming with others of the clan, plotting to go to war with the vampaneze. She really didn't like being back here.

It wasn't until later that night that Kitty felt some relief from her dislike for the mountain, spotting the red robes and ginger hair of the young Larten Crepsley quietly talking to Mika Ver Leth. She stopped and patiently waited for him to notice her and both the vampires looked up, looking at her for a moment but she kept her eyes on Larten, clearly wishing to speak with him and Mika nodded, quickly making an excuse to Larten before nodding a goodbye to Kitty and disappearing down a passageway. The vampiress said nothing for a moment, their gazes locked before she tilted her head, indicating for him to follow her. He did without a second thought and found himself standing in her cave minutes later, a rare treat for anyone but her. "I see Seba's been keeping you busy." She commented lightly and Larten gave a small nod, then a smile. "He always does, but I don't think that's the reason you invited me here. You look troubled."  
"You are correct. I dislike being back here, even more now I find good vampires war mongering." She slowly sat in a comfortable chair and wordlessly signalled for him to do the same. "fifty years is a long time. I've heard many things about you. Mainly that of you turning your back on the clan, falling in love and settling down with a human, and that you are responsible for the demise of Tanish Eul." She stated simply, feeling more comfortable to talk openly when it was just the two of them. Larten's lips pursed into a thin line. He'd mentioned his discovery of Perta Vin-Grahl's ice palace and a lot of his time alone those few nights ago though he hadn't mentioned his terrible mistake on the ship or his love for Alicia. But now he felt it was time to come clean with the woman before him.  
He told her everything, recounting every detail and she listened intently, her expression unchanging until he finally finished his long tale. To which she then stood and crossed over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You should not have taken those lives on the ship. You were wrong to do so even if someone so dear was taken from you. Though your actions were not your own and although I cannot condone them, I do not blame you either, if the Prince saw fit to forgive you then who am I to change that judgement? However I don't think poor Gavnur should be pushed aside when he is in need of a father, Larten. You owe him the love and affection you stole from him. As for Tanish Eul, that rat had it coming and I'm sorry he doubled crossed you. A coward like that should never have been blooded." Her words were sincere and Larten took some comfort from them, though he still could not forgive himself for his actions on the ship. "She is a lucky woman to have drawn your eye. Are you going to blood her?" Kitty raised an eyebrow and Larten shook his head. "She does not wish to be turned, besides, she has a daughter now." His eyes fixed on the cool icy glow of her eyes and he wondered for a moment if he could get lost in they're depths. He felt better around her, comforted. They talked no more about the past events and Kitty never asked for a repetition of his tale over the coming years.  
"What about you? What have you been up to?" He questioned lightly, feeling he was owed an honest reply and she stared at him for a long moment before moving to sit back in her seat. "I left vampire mountain fifty years ago and have been travelling ever since. I've been to America, Japan, Iceland, Germany, Africa, you name it I've been there. That took up around thirty years or so since I liked to spend a bit of time in each place, and then I ended up spending some time with the cirque whenever we crossed paths. I discovered I have a talent for copying voices." She smirked slightly and then continued her tale. "When I left the Cirque I found myself spending some time amongst the Skelks and ran into Evanna on a few occasions. Nice scar by the way." The smirk broadened into a teasing smile. Larten scowled at the comment, unsure of the implications in her mocking tone, and she simply brushed off the scowl. The conversation lightened again after that and Larten found himself simply enjoying her company, much different to that of quick-tempered Arra Sails, or his human once lover, Alicia.  
It was times like this Kitty felt her heart beat faster for him, relishing in the conversations they shared and watching as he slowly transformed into the fine Vampire General he had become. "Have you really found a mate?" He asked gently, the light of the candle darkening the scar on his cheek which he currently scratched, pulling her from her thoughts. She watched him for a long moment before she slowly spoke, lifting her hand lightly to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Whatever gave you that idea?"  
"You told Vancha tha-"  
"I told Vancha that it was none of his business." She cut him off, then the corner of her mouth turned up in a steady smile. "No. I have not." Larten could have leapt from his chair and punched the air in victory and he struggled hard to suppress a grin he so longed to release, giving a cough to compose himself before he returned his eyes to her. "Do you plan to?" Kitty struggled to read the intention behind the question and she pondered for a moment. "In time. If someone catches my eye perhaps." She gave a light nod, satisfied with the answer. "Has anyone managed to yet?" Larten enquired lightly and she arched a thin eyebrow, watching him for a long moment. "That is too bold." A small smile drifted over her features again. "Perhaps."  
In the coming weeks after Kitty had left the mountain Larten discovered a conversation topic he wished had never graced his ears. Mika had told Larten about a certain conversation between Wester and Kitty he's overheard outside of the dining hall that stirred a mixture of emotions within the young General. So this had been the perhaps she meant? He thought bitterly and then forced himself to calm down. He should be happy for her if that was who she wanted and he couldn't help but hope that Wester would drop the crusade against the Vampaneze in exchange for seven happy years with the vampiress. But his jealousy got the better of him within hours and he vowed to himself to double his efforts. Little did he know, the vampiress had meant that Larten himself and caught her eye.


	3. Chapter 3: Born Free

**Chapter three: Born free.**

Five years on from the council the Vampiress sat huddled close to a fire somewhere near Hamburg, Germany in a thick green forest. At her feet sat an empty bottle of blood and a small rucksack made from a thick course cotton material. She licked her lips lightly, cleaning them of the blood that coated them only moments ago and closed her eyes, leaning back against the bark of a particularly tall tree, the ancient, natural energy of the forest pulsing around her with every breath she took.  
They were on the doorstep of another brewing human war that would change history for good. A war more brutal and senseless than any before it and every vampire that was nigh to the tension filled countries felt some unease. Kitty herself was planning to get away before the storm hit, not entertaining the idea of thoughtless killing. She planned to head east, perhaps to Russia or Thailand, somewhere with an extreme climate. Perhaps she would find herself in Singapore or somewhere in China; anywhere her instincts told her to go. She smiled for a moment, relishing in her freedom and thanking the Vampire god's for choosing her to be one of their children.  
Her enjoyment didn't last long as the sudden smell of death filled the air, stirring Kitty's bowels into almost throwing up. The stench was terrible, like that of weeks old decomposing flesh and within an instant she was up on her feet, peering into the unfriendly darkness beyond her comforting fire. "Who's there?" She called out in a harsh tone, standing her ground firmly, the animalistic monster that inhabited her once human body resisting the urge to growl. Too her horror two cackles sounded from either side of her, making the hair on the back of her neck raise as two sets of red eyes gleamed at her in the darkness. Two tall male Vampaneze stepped closer to the orange glow of the fire and leered at the girl. "It's just a girl Sylvester." The killer on her left with dark brunette hair sneered.  
"Is that so Louis?" The ugly, blonde creature to her right snickered and Kitty frowned.  
"Now Gentlemen, has anybody ever tell you it is rude to sneak up on a lady and invade her company without permission?" She almost scowled at the purple skinned beasts, standing as straight and as she could to show she wasn't afraid. "Looky 'ere Sylvester... this little lady's putting up a fight. Your name, wench?"  
"Wench? How rude..." She purred, her eyes darting from one to the other.  
"You heard. We want to know your name before we kill you." The one known as Louis spoke up, fixing his ruby eyes on the kin he hated so much. "Kill me?" Kitty tutted, feeling disgusted that two of them would attack her at once. "We know your reputation, girl. You've killed several of our kind, it's only right that we finish you off." Sylvester spoke up and they slowly began to circle her, like hyenas closing on their pray. "Both of you at once? What dishonourable pigs you really are." She scoffed, her fingers slowly forming claws, locking in position as her lethal nails fixed, ready to defend herself. "Do you consent?" Louis asked, keeping his eyes on her and she rolled her eyes. "You'd kill me even if I didn't. My name is Katara Eventier."  
Within seconds of learning her name Louis lunged for her and the girl ducked, allowing him to fly over her and the moment his middle reached above her head she struck upwards, her nails pointed like a lethal dagger but to her dismay it only grazed him. Sylvester howled and dived in as well, launching into a full hand to hand combat with her, punching, kicking, scratching and biting. His attacks were quick but reckless and Kitty found herself blocking most of his lunges, hissing when he sliced her cheek with a lucky blow and she staggered back for a moment, glaring at him. "You'll pay for that." She snarled and this time she led the onslaught, the vampaneze defending themselves from her constant and precise attack. An experienced general as she was the girl still found it tiring to fight two vampaneze at once, the speed of their attacks plus the fact she was attempting to defend herself and attack at the same time would have caused most generals to falter, but her many times battling the powerful one armed General and Paris Skyle had taught her to keep vigilant right up until death, and to make peace with her life in case a battle was her last.  
She had no regrets, no things she wished she had done and she kept it that way so that she was certain to find her way to paradise, the only people she thought about during the combat were Larten and Vancha, wondering if she'd ever see her two friends again.  
A blow to the side of her head sent her reeling and the vampire forced herself to focus again despite the blur that had become her vision and the loud ring in her ears. Sylvester lay on the floor by now, gargling his own blood and the grief stricken Louis was hailing attacks down upon her, only dazing her more, no longer focused on the fight, but merely tearing her to shreds. Another lucky blow sent her backwards.  
Kitty caught herself on a tree before she pushed forward, flitting at the male and aiming a hard kick at his torso, driving her hand up in an uppercut to connect with his chin. A surge of adrenaline thrummed through her veins as she felt it connect, a harsh snapping sound echoing through the forest that was silent just moments before. The vampire gods were not ready to call her home yet.  
Louis howled with pain and jumped her again, pinning her to the floor and driving his nails downward. What happened next came in a blur and Kitty herself struggled to remember exactly what happened. She remembered the feel of the branch in her hand, then the screams as the burning end struck the vampaneze's face and then suddenly she was back to her senses and on her feet, putting one foot on his chest to stop him rolling around in agony. "Even in death may you be triumphant." She murmured and drove her nails down, stabbing the vampaneze known as Louis through the throat, feeling his warm blood gush around her fingers as his eyes widened, the muscles of his throat constricting around her fingers as he gurgled and choked.  
She only removed her hand when she was sure he was dead before falling back.  
She lay panting amongst the two corpses, worn out and wary from the battle. She wasn't sure how long it had gone on but the sky was beginning to lighten. Her head ached and a gash on her shoulder and a burn on her arm stung with a vicious pain. She knew she had to move before sunrise, before she burned to death and the corpses were discovered. She knew she had to bury them, to give them an honourable burial.

She had to...

**WELP! That's another chapter uploaded! I'll be uploading another one super soon as I actually wrote a few more ^_^ Please leave a review! :) Thank you! **


	4. Chapter 4: The Past Is The Past, Kitty

**Chapter four: Dreaming awake.**

Rain. Kitty recalled how in those days how it never seemed to end, like a constant cloud hanging over her life, bleak and miserable. Back in the days before she knew what she did now; of the clan, the vampaneze, of anything in particular that sat outside of the early, filthy Victorian London. All that mattered to her back then was surviving.  
She sat huddled against a doorway to an abandoned house, a young girl no older than fifteen just trying to stay dry, her hair a bushy and wild mess that hung against her filthy, thin body and ragged clothing that, despite her best efforts, was still getting wet.  
Her legs had gone numb an hour ago from the constant drip of icy rainwater that dripped onto her and her stomach growled hungrily. She hadn't managed to steal any money or food from the markets today as many thought it useless to set up shop whilst such a heavy downpour was going on.  
Closing her eyes she sucked herself away into her imagination, pretending that a loving mother and father would walk around the corner and take pity on her, taking her hands and leading her back to their large, warm house where the fires were constantly stacked and food was constantly provided. Oh, she could almost taste the roast chicken! The new roast potatoes crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside made her mouth water as they sat on a huge plate that never seemed to run empty and she laughed as a cute greyhound puppy jumped up and down at her legs, wagging its tail happily. Kitty could almost smell the mothers sweet perfume as the beautiful woman hugged her close and she could feel the material of her new dress brush her legs and the strong arms of her father as she was lifted into the air and spun around after her meal. A happy, beautiful, home.  
The girl must have lost consciousness as when she awoke, blinking sleep from her eyes she saw the most peculiar little man standing over her, his shiny green boots and yellow suit reminding her of a boiled sweet she saw at the candy shop. No! don't think of food! Her stomach gave another protesting growl and she put on the best scary face she could muster. "What you want!" she hissed and he laughed slightly.  
"Oh my, oh my, no no no this will never do! We can't have you looking so deathly, especially not for what I have in-stored for you... "The man chortled and Kitty blinked, watching as he took out a handkerchief and simply dropped it at her feet, the hanky made of a fine Indian silk and she immediately knew it would be worth a lot. "I'll let you have it. On the condition you only pick it up in ten minutes time. Trust me, if you don't, your life may not be as long as you want it to be." He purred and stared down at the sitting girl who looked as if she may as well have been sat on deaths door step. "Get out of ere! I don't need no charity!" she snapped, causing the white haired male to laugh as he bent forward and put his hands on his knees, the water strangely not touching him, seeming to disappear before it could. "Oh my dear, I think you do. Now be a good girl and do as I say, hm?" With that the man presently vanished, leaving the confused girl to stare at the space he had been, scrambling to her feet wildly to look around for him. This was a trap! It had to be! "Well I ain't falling for it!" she yelled into the air and sat down heavily once more, pausing when she felt the soft material of the handkerchief brush her foot. She found herself staring at it, contemplating whether the man had been real or if she'd finally lost her mind. Either way she found herself wondering whether to pick it up or not. The money from such a fine little snot-rag would feed her for at least a few days. But why did the man want her to wait if he'd so freely given it to her?  
How long had it been? If it was a trap surely something would have happened by now? She looked around again and frowned, reaching up to push strands of her out of her face sucking in a breath before reaching out to pick up the white hanky. The moment she did she felt a sharp pain in her hand that made her yelp, an almost bone crushing force pressing down on it before it lifted again just seconds later. Her eyes travelled up to a tall male in dark brown clothing that had stood on her hand. "Oi!" she yelled as he continued walking and he paused, glancing back at her, arching an eyebrow. "You stood on my hand and you don't even stop to apologize! Didn' your mother ever teach you manners!" The man seemed taken aback for a moment, staring at the scrawny child and much to her surprise, he laughed! "Oi! What you laughin' at! I said apologize!" She commanded, scrambling to her feet and copying the pose she saw the bakers wife pull, putting her hands on her hips in an angry woman way. The man turned to face her and her eyes immediately spotted that the man only had one arm. Still. It was no excuse and she wanted her apology. "Do you have any idea of what I am, child?" he asked, staring at her with hard brown eyes. "A rude git that's what. I ain't gunna stand here all day, so just say sorry an' be on your way." Again the male's eyebrow arched in surprise but he pushed the topic no further. "Where are your parents?"  
"How should I know?" she frowned. God this man was nosey. Uh oh, maybe he was a peeler in disguise! "Er…. I mean… me m'ams at the bakery." She lied, hoping it was convincing but the man didn't seem convinced, in fact he saw right through it. But for her sake, he played along. "Take this to your mother then." He searched in his pockets and held out a few coins. Greedily she rushed forwards and snatched them from him, backing off in case this was some awful plot to have her dragged into the slums or worse, jail.

"You ain't from around here are you. " She stared up at him, noting his accent and he gave a short nod. "Just passing through. Do you have a name?"  
"Mmmm not really. Most of my life I've just been called 'girl' or 'come here you stupid runt'" She frowned at the memory of the factory she'd only recently escaped. "What about you?"  
"A girl with no name... interesting...I'm Darius. "  
"Well ain't that a funny name. Sounds like something you'd call a dog." She grinned. "And what did you mean by 'know what I am?' your human ain't'cha?" The vampire smirked and stared at the human child with old eyes, surprised by the fact she wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by him like most humans naturally were, but then he put it down to her lack of wit, or so he thought. "I haven't been human for over 100 years." He said simply, watching the girl infront of him as she fidgeted. "Do you believe in vampires, little girl?"  
"Nah, Timmy in the factory used to tell us stories about this one guy that used to take blood from his m'am in exchange for money." The nameless girl's eyes bulged and she quickly looked away, kicking herself for revealing her lie. The vampire sniffed slightly, having been expecting such trickery and he slowly crouched in front of the girl. "Do you want to die?" he asked in a gentle voice, standing at eye level with the child that stared back at him with such intense blue eyes that they almost looked inhuman. "No." She replied firmly, feeling a slight prickle of fear run through her.  
"Then I suggest you do not lie to anyone ever again, or else they might just decide to gobble you up for their dinner, you don't want that do you?" His eyes became ferocious for a moment and the girl gulped. "S-sorry Sir."  
"Good. Do you have anyone who currently cares for you? Any relatives?"  
"Nah sir."  
"I see.." The vampire watched her for a moment, studying the look in her eyes. "Do you want to come with me?"  
"Where to? "  
"Anywhere, I could even make you like me."  
"Make me a... what was it 'gain?" Her eyes widened slightly in curiosity, her hand reaching up to push some messy hair from her face. "A vampire, yes, provided your blood is good enough."  
"How d'ya know that...?"  
"I can test it." He laughed as she stared at him in bewilderment. "Hold out your hand little one." She did as she was told, giving a small grimace when his nail pricked her fingertip and he licked it, swirling the taste in his mouth for a moment. It almost surprised him by how pure it was, given the circumstances of where she lived, only the faintest hint of evil staining the aftertaste, but he knew that with time and proper training, he could make that disappear altogether. "This is good, you'll make a fine vampire, but not yet." He lowered his arm to his side and she blinked in bewilderment. "Ey?! But you said!"  
"I will make you a halfling for now, but until the time comes that I make you a full vampire, you will remain as a halfling. I will train you and you will never go hungry again, unless you are meant to. "  
He could tell the girl didn't quite understand, but dawn was coming and he needed to do this quickly. "Hold out both hands, I'm going to blood you."  
"Wait jus' a minute! I ain't even got a name! You gotta pick me a name if you want me to go anywhere with you!" She held her palms tightly against her sides, staring at him in determination and the vampire sighed, wondering what exactly was driving him to blood this little girl, especially since there were so many like her out on the streets.  
He thought for a few moments. "Kitty. We can work on the rest later."  
"Kitty? What kind of a name's'at!?" She snickered but then gave a small, happy smile. "Kitty." She repeated, then cocked her head to the side and held out her palms. "It'll do I 'spose."


	5. Chapter 5: Sunshine and Moonlight

**Chapter four: Sunshine and Moonlight. **

"Well hey there sunshine." A voice awakened Kitty from her slumber and she blinked a few times. Why wasn't she dead? Where was the smell of rotting flesh? Why didn't her wounds ache anymore? She slowly looked around the room she was led in, a comfortable bed beneath her and the light of a candle illuminating the few objects that filled the room. To answer all her questions she found a face she recognized all too well sat cross-legged on the floor. "Vancha..." she mumbled, slowly sitting up and wincing when she felt the slight pull of stitches in her arm, her hand flying up to cover the wound. "Nu uh, don't try to get up. That was a nasty hit you took there." The Prince's grin threatened to split his face, yet his eyes showed some concern. "I found you unconscious in the woods close to daybreak, your lucky I was in the area or you would have been toast." He smirked and the girl frowned, her long brunette hair down, flowing around her shoulders, the ends settling on the pillow behind her, though she guessed it was more for Vancha's enjoyment than necessity, the wavy locks turning a slight caramel colour in the candlelight. "How long have I been out...? The bodies, what happened to them?"  
"Relax." He cut her off, shifting to kneel beside her bed and he shrugged his purple skins off of his shoulder, showing a nasty case of sunburn. "I carried you here to be treated and then went back and buried them. I'm a little disappointed. I thought you would do what was right before passing out..." He frowned softly.  
"I had no choice. Do you really think if I could have managed to m-" She began to protest.  
"Relax Kitty, I was joking." The sire purred and reached up with one filthy hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She stared at him indignantly for a moment and her eyes ran over the vampire prince, noting that his green hair held a fresh gleam that made her resist the urge to gag, though for once she wouldn't comment, after all, the prince had saved her life.  
"Care to tell me as to why two vampaneze attacked you simultaneously?" He arched an eyebrow, his composure remaining calm as she recounted the battle for the prince. He remained silent the entire time, listening intently and when she finished he snarled. "Those miserable curs, two of them attacking at once is outrageous!"  
"But not unheard of, Sire." She corrected him, letting her hands rest on her lap.

The prince snorted indignantly though he knew she was right. It wasn't uncommon to hear of vampires and vampaneze attacking each-other, despite how dishonourable it was. "Oh.. and did I mention you're in deep shit?" he spoke in a casual tone, reaching up to wiggle a pinkie in his ear. "What! Why!?" her eyes shot up from her lap to stare at the prince who proceeded to flick a tiny ball of earwax onto the rug without a second thought. "A human saw you fighting and he's been asking questions while you've been sleeping. I cornered him to find out what he knew and luckily for you, you aren't the first of our kind he's met. He goes by the name Adolf Hitler." Vancha paused, wanting to see if any recognition sparked in her eyes, though he only saw anger and shrugged it off. "Look, you probably aren't going to be the last of our kind he meets, especially not since he seems very interested in our ways and believes we share similar ideals, whatever that means, all I'm asking is that you don't fight so close to a human territory. Alright?" The girl nodded though she felt such a scolding wasn't fair, but who was she to question a prince?  
The princes tone lightened and a small devious smirk crossed his face. "Well? What's my reward for rescuing you?" Kitty's eyebrow arched and she stared at the prince.  
"Reward, sire?"  
"You heard me." Vancha's smirk broadened and he sat up on his knees, kneeling beside her bed. "It depends on what reward you are asking for." She spoke carefully, her gaze never leaving the prince's and for a moment his face took on a serious expression. "A kiss, from such a fair maiden."  
"I'm afraid sire, that's never going to happen. Not while you have that slime in your hair and such a foul breath and body odour."  
"I'm a naturalist, a traditional vampire. Don't tell me you like the sleep in beds and have hot bath types like Larten and Mika." The prince scoffed and the girl smirked.  
"Hygiene is never underappreciated sire. If you want your reward, I'd ask for you to take a long bath and brush your teeth." Vancha frowned and sniffed but he could see the vampiress was not going to change her mind. "Fine. I will go bathe as the lady requests." Grudgingly he stood and took one last look at her before turning on his heel and disappearing to the en-suite bathroom. If anyone had seen the state of the water when he was done, they would have been utterly revolted.  
Comforting himself while he sat in the cold water he decided not to have another wash for two years, to make up for not having his annual bath under his favourite waterfall.

Sadly though, Vancha never got his reward as when he stepped out of the bathroom it was to find the female fallen back into slumber, a few strands of her hair hanging over her relaxed face. With a sigh he sat down and watched her sleep again, once again donned in his purple skins with strands of wet hair sticking to his tanned face that did nothing to hide it's disappointment. After an hour he slowly stood and quietly slipped out of the window to find a nice patch of rock to sleep on nearby, dreaming of the kiss he never got.


End file.
